Feeling lucky?

Lucky You!! Clair has a really fun sort of giveaway/tag going on. So, I'm playing along. Check it out!

Lucky you! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2. What I create will be just for you.

3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}

4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!*

Oddities

Today was an odd day. I had my first day back at work, as well as my first day at the elementary schools for my Purdue classes, and both at the same elementary school. It was odd because no one had any idea I was going to come, and I was scheduled at various places for work in which students were gone for specials, recess, or lunch...and then I had to keep running around the building to get back into the school and hunt down my supervisor to try to rearrange. Then, in the afternoon, my mentor teacher had no idea I was supposed to actually teach today, and I had no chance to really tell her until the end of the day because she had a horde of teachers from other schools observing her, videotaping her, and asking all sorts of questions. It was a busy, chaotic day and I really am only glossing over all of it, but in summary it was one of those Alice in Wonderland days where up is down and you feel like you may as well have two heads.

I'm excited, though. Once things settle down into a routine, it's going to be a great semester! :)

Simple Pleasures

Little girls in petticoats jumproping under a spring tree...can it get any better? It's the ultimate symbol of innocent, youthful, simple pleasure. (At least it is to me...)

It's snowing again...big, fluffy flakes coming down hard and fast. I hate winter, but I have to admit, it's awfully beautiful sometimes. But I wouldn't jumprope out in this.

The idea of pleasure is almost foreign to me these days...I spent literally almost all day yesterday, from 7am 'til 12am, doing homework! Granted, some of that was interesting and fun, and a lot of that was me trying to get ahead so that I don't feel like I'm trying to play catch-up all semester long...but still! I did take a brief hour to catch the last half of a Disney Channel Original Movie, "Pixel Perfect." Boy, was THAT weird! Disney can be so hit-and-miss sometimes.

What gives me pure, simple, wonderful pleasure? Writing (which I don't do nearly enough of), music (which I neither listen to nor produce as much as I used to), trying a new art medium (how long has it been since we all did THAT?), working at the elementary school (which I haven't done for almost two months...although I will get to start again this week!), sleeping (which, I'll admit, I do WAY too much of!), and spending quality time with Paul. Pretty much most of all whenever I am involved in the act of creating something beautiful or meaningful and then sharing what I do/know/have with others who I love and care about, I'm a happy girl. I don't get giddy or excited easily, but I'm amused quite easily.

Today I realized something quite profound. I've been in a negative slump lately, mostly out of exhaustion and anxiety and ungratefulness and lots of other things, and I didn't know how that happened. It was so gradual a process. Sometimes we have good days and bad days, but these days have been on a continuum leading nowhere...I realized today that at least one cause, or maybe an effect, of this is that I use the word "hate" a lot and "like/love" not a lot. "Hate" is a strong, loaded word and I almost never used to use it, and I still never would about a person themselves. But things like, "I hate the winter," "I hate when people do that," "I hate not knowing what I'm supposed to do," and so forth really have put me in a place where I've become quite comfortable with using that word in my everyday conversations about everything and nothing. In contrast, where I used to say things like, "I like your dress," "I love this movie," and "I appreciate your time," now there is silence, filled with negatives in my head, "I hate my wardrobe," "I need more money so I can buy this movie," and "Hurry up, already." Which came first, the words or the negativity, I'm not sure. But I believe that words are very powerful things, filled with the ability to shape our thoughts and inclinations, desires and dreams, and that if we use the right ones, we can make our lives so much happier. Words are one of my favorite simple pleasures, and I want to use them rightly.

It is finished!

I think they turned out pretty well...lots of flowers and all in pinks, yellow, and white! I must admit, I have really enjoyed learning all about floral arranging for this wedding, and I can't wait until one of my friends or sisters or so forth gets married so that I can help her with all the flowers! After all this, I'm practically a pro! The pics above are with and without flash, so you can get the "whole picture." :)

Anxious!

I'm about to attempt my bouquet...which I have no idea how to make. Here goes!

HGTV

I'm not a huge TV person anymore, thank goodness ("Psych" and "Monk" are the exceptions), but there are a few channels I have the hardest time turning away from. These include History, Discovery, and HGTV. HGTV is the worst by far, because Paul & I love learning about how to fix up homes in cheap ways, and daydreaming about the home we will someday have. I caught Design on a Dime's episode where they summed up their first 5 years with their top 35 secrets, and I thought I'd share them with all of you so that you can help improve your own living spaces. There's something about a home's style, comfort, personality, and order that matters. For those of you already into this stuff, this is more a refresher course than anything new. Sorry. :)

35. Get organized. Before you do anything, clean out the room you want to redesign and figure out how you want to store things. Getting rid of the clutter and seeing exactly what you have to work with and what you still need are the starting points.

34. Hide your TV. TV's should not be the focal point of any room, even the TV room. Hide them in cabinetry, behind sliding mirrors, or on shelving where they aren't the first thing you see in the room.

33. Build a headboard. Apparently without a headboard, your bedrooms have zero focus. A headboard for the bed grounds the bed in, and they can be done as cheaply and simply or as expensively and ornately as you wish.

32. MDF—Medium Density Fiberboard. This is the "wood" they recommend we all use for pretty much everything. It's cheap, easy to work with & paint, and stable.

31. Salvage something. Reuse & change items you like...for example, they turned an old piano into a bar, and a door into cabinetry. Get creative with things you like but that aren't quite what you want.

30. Double up in small spaces. If you're working in smaller rooms or nooks, use multi-function furniture, such as coffee tables that have drawers, and put mirrors across the room from the windows to make the space seem larger.

29. Break down big rooms into smaller zones. Instead of trying to fill every inch of space in a large room, for example, a basement, section off places into lounging areas, play areas, TV spaces, and so forth, with rugs, shelving, and furniture placement.

28. Let there be light . There should be lots of light, so removing dark drapery and making over light fixtures really adds to the appeal of a room. In some rooms, especially for a more romantic ambience, you want your lights on dimmers.

27. Seating matters. Make sure you always have plenty of space for guests to sit and feel welcome in your home. Use daybeds, chaises, benches, go to thrift stores for cheap furniture to reupholdster, and so forth.

26. Plan your approach. Probably obvious, but you need to make sure that whatever you buy or make can actually fit through the doors and into the space in which you're planning to use it.

25. Learn to sew. Sewing means that you can design your own pillows, drapes, runners, napkins, and decor in quick and easy ways, and those things are really what pull the different elements of a room together.

24. Cut a rug (literally)…they are huge fans of having area rugs, especially in larger places. For cheap solutions, sew small bathmats together or go to the back of the carpet stores and buy carpet remnants for hecka cheap.

23. Fix up the fireplace. If you're fortunate enough to have a fireplace in any room, it ought to be the focal point of that space. Always add a mantle, change the façade to something "new" that goes with the decor, and paint the inside with heat-resistant paint--preferably black--to spruce that space up. If it's a little small, make it seem larger by extending the tile in front of it.

22. Reclaim your closet doors. According to DOD, your doors are a canvas, so paint them or add fabric & wood stain, do something to add texture to them.

21. Look up! Add something cool to your ceiling…it’s a 5th wall…so use wallpaper, some sort of cool artsy design, or add faux beams to really add something classy to the ceiling.

20. Buy the broken stuff. Many times, you want huge pottery for plants or something like it, so when things chip or crack and you can hide those blemishes, and it doesn't affect the function of the piece, buy them! They're way cheaper.

19. Fix up those finds. This includes filling in scratches, sewing or covering up tears, fixing hardware, and so on. If it's broken and you can see it, fix it.

18. Turn pre-fab to fab. A designer's way of saying "make each piece memorable." For example, put crown molding on dressers, look into new ways of staining, and so on, to make each piece one-of-a-kind.

17. Stick with hook & loop. There are lots of ways to attach fabrics, wood, moldings, and other materials together. They recommend "hook & loop," which is kinda like ultra Velcro, because it works for everything, including refurnishing couches.

16. Create an illusion. Place things vertically with floor-to-ceiling, open-backed shelving; use room dividers, etc. Draw the eye to interesting places and make everything seem different, bigger, smaller, cozier, or what have you.

15. Less is more. Being a minimalist myself, I love this rule. Basically, to design effectively you need restraint and balance. See also #9.

14. Do your homework. Research a little to get the details right for the look you want, especially if you're going for a specific era, theme, or mimicking a piece of architecture. If you do your homework, you'll see what "fits" into that idea and probably get a few more pieces of inspiration along the way.

13. Take your time. They can’t do it on TV, but you can! Certainly set a deadline for yourself, but realize that finding cheap deals at thrift stores and learning to plan, sew, paint, and so forth is a time-consuming task. Don't do it so quickly that you end up doing more damage to the look.

12. Know when to break the rules. There are places and times when these rules should be broken. The prime example is in kid’s rooms & playspaces…go nuts there, over-the-top, really. The coolest rooms are all-out themed and colorful and a little crazy, but still easy-to-organize and safe for play.

11. Own the outdoors. If you have a space outdoors, make it your own. Outdoor rooms ought to be furnished much like a living room, and nooks and crannies around the pool, gardens, and so forth ought to likewise have plenty of seating and shade. This can be a simple bench or an elaborate deck, but even the great outdoorsmen like a place to sit besides the grass. Also, keep your gardening areas within your ability to manage.

10. Accessorize! This is what makes the room yours, so really look around for inexpensive vases, candle holders, etc. One really cool thing this guy did was to take two tall glass candle holders, one small enough to fit in the other with about a 1/2-inch border all around, and fill in the space between with broken glass; pour in some resin to keep everything still, and you have this crazy glass-floating-in-glass votive that's a gorgeous way to bring in light.

9. Avoid overkill with accessorizing. One of the biggest design mistakes people make is finding something they like and going overboard with it. It's your home, not a themed restaurant. :) Work with accessories in 3's,5's, and 7's… and once you have your place set up, stick with the rule "one thing in, one thing out".

8. Drop that brush. Painting the walls is one of the first things you have to do to spruce up a room, but if you really want a space to "pop", drop that brush and grab sponges, put in a little elbow grease, and try your hand at faux finishing. This is particularly great for accent walls and furniture focal points.

7. Expand your faux-rizons. (I didn't make these up, I promise!) Try new things, like staining, stenciling, acrylic, etc.

6. YOU are an artist. I'm also a huge fan of this tip. Use your own artwork on everything…start with what you love/treasure, such as photographs, hobbies/collections, and so forth, and go from there. If you don't feel particularly inspired on your own, grab some stencils or fabrics that speak to you and incorporate those elements on cabinetry, pillows, light fixtures, and other accents.

5. Dare to design. Get creative with your space, make it your own. Think outside of the box, in other words, and if it seems a little impossible to manage on your own, ask for help.

4. Look for inspiration. (Before you do number 5.) Kind of dove-tailing with #6, pick out themes, artwork, or knick-knacks (one example is coasters or your dinnerware) to inspire your motif.

3. Everyone can win. One reason people don't redesign or rearrange is because they're not the only person living in the house! You can and should always compromise on styles that reflect both personalities. For example, manly-men tend to like larger, heftier, darker furniture and accents, so use them, but accentuate places with particularly feminine (corals, silvers, sparkly things) drapery, pillows, and other curvy things to balance out the room, as well as wallpaper or paint that is more-fem-than-a-neutral.

2. Re-think the obvious. If there's a space that you're having a hard time dealing with, think outside the box. The example they gave was of this family who desperately wanted/needed a dining room table but who also had a toddler that loved to play in the open space of their dining room currently. So the DOD team got two skinny, very stable tables and put them together as a dining room table, but then they could easily split them apart and lift them to the sides of the room to create that open space for the kid. Basically, if you're stuck not liking "A or B", try "C!"

1. Form + Function = Fabulous. Make everything make a statement. Especially when you're poor, have children, or are clueless as to what to do, pick out a pallet or a few key elements of the room you absolutely must have and make each piece count. Everything else will fall into place later as you have more money, time, and ideas about how to make the space your own.

Well, sorry that was so long, but it made me excited just re-posting these ideas. I'm a nerd. But I can't wait to live in something other than an apartment so that I can really make use of these ideas in full and not just in part. :) That's all for today, folks. Talking about homes and such has revamped my desire to clean my apartment again.

Energy

I wish I had this kind of energy. Especially on this three-day weekend where I have cleaning and homework and personal study and getting warm to do!

Energy is such a strange thing and I think that hardly anyone really understands it fully. I'm particularly interested in human energy and the way that we transfer it among ourselves. Sister Watson is the one who got me onto this, with the whole hug thing. Did you know you should never pat another person on the back when you're giving hugs, because it disrupts the energy flow between the two of you? Long or quick, hard hugs are best. People are actually STRONGER for them.

I'm also pretty sure that there is something at least aesthetically pleasing about feng shui, and that there's more to it than we realize...considering it is all about balance and energy flow, it makes sense, but we definitely take it for granted.

On a completely different note, I'm frustrated beyond all reason because I have this problem for one of my classes that will not get answered unless I answer it...so if you have any leads for me, please let me know! I was given this map and I am supposed to figure out what it represents. Why is Iowa the biggest?! That's all the guidance I was given, aside from the fact that only 7 or 8 people in Dr. Krockover's 40 years of teaching have ever figured it out, and that he never actually tells you the answer. I spent three hours of energy yesterday googling everything I could about Iowa, that would leave Illinois up in the top 7 (with Nebraska, Kansas, California, and Texas) and keep Indiana way back down in the non-existent.

Wishful Thinking

Since the high right now, mid-day, before windchill, is -7 degrees, right now I wish I had fire.

But if it weren't so cold, I probably wouldn't wish for fire at all. I always hated the question about what you would do if a genie granted you 3 wishes, because, first of all, no genie exists that will ever come and be able to grant me those wishes, anyway, so why get my hopes up? Secondly, there's always that story that comes to mind of that guy who had a fish-genie grant his wishes and they all got jumbled up and turned out completely differently than he meant, which is something that would probably happen to me. Thirdly, I have no idea what I really want or need, and if I were to ask for the "wrong" thing I'd only be kicking myself that much more later down the road, because that's the kind of girl I am. Lastly, what we wish for depends on context. For example, in colder-than-ice-cold temperatures, I want a fire. But when my house is on fire...I want something to put it out. What we want depends on the moment more than anything else...but having those three wishes granted is so much more permanent.

With all of that being said, however, I am now going to attempt to make 3 wishes. Whether or not a genie stumbles across this post is completely out of my hands, and they may some or all change tomorrow, but in this moment, being entirely selfish, here are my 3 wishes.

(1) I wish for a healthy body & mind.
(2) I wish for everyone's cars to work properly and keep us safe & warm as they get us from place to place.
(3) I wish Paul had a phone that worked & had minutes so I could talk to him whenever I wanted, wherever we are.

Somewhere...Over the Rainbow

I'm a bit of a daydreamer. It's a problem. Especially on cold, wintry, wind-chill-warning days like today, I can't help but let my mind wander to warmer topics. Sitting at home, of course, no one really cares...but while I'm in class, it's bad. :)

Speaking of dreams, today I was reminded of this awesome dream I had once where I discovered that rocks, hard as they might seem, were edible AND nutritious, and I solved world hunger. It was strange because in my dream I remember feeling my teeth hurting as I chewed on a piece of slate...it had the texture of really badly burnt pie crust, but tasted like I imagine a rock would taste. But starving people need minerals, not tasty delicacies, and rocks were THE THING to have...and everyone has rocks somewhere. I was a world-wide hero. It was amazing.

I had a migraine today, which would have been unbearable if it weren't for Paul, who drove me home, tucked me in bed, and made me dinner while letting me sleep for an hour as some excedrin took hold of my system. He's my dream guy. :)

Now I must go to sleep and have dreams...hopefully good ones, because I've been having lots of restless nights lately and lots of nightmares. Maybe since I spent the last hour drawing kanji on my art journal, I'll be focused and peaceful enough to sleep well. A bientot, mes amis!

Writing Club--Another Muse

The week's prompts were varied by individual...basically, we each wrote down a story idea and then drew them from a hat, allotting 30 minutes to write. Here's my prompt and story:

“You wake up in an unfamiliar environment and everyone’s telling you you’re someone else, with a completely different life.” ~Charissa


I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that seventh burrito before I went to sleep last night, but my cravings left me with little choice. I must be having another nightmare. Why else would these strange people be looking at me so quizzically and calling me Isaac?

“Isaac, for heaven’s sakes, are you feeling all right?” some strange rotund woman with a mole on her left cheek asks me with a glint of worry in her eyes. I wince at the throbbing in my head only a moment, looking around the room that smells like burnt popcorn. This woman and two twin boys that look vaguely familiar are staring down at me as though I were an alien abducted for their own purposes, to be dissected and studied. One of the twins, the shirtless one, nudges the other playfully.

“Isaac’s toasted!” he says, half-mocking, half-reverently.

Toasted? I don’t think so. But Isaac? Who’s that?

“Joey, go put your shirt on and get your books for school, you’re going to be late,” the woman—I can only assume it is their mother—says with a look that speaks volumes. She points to the mute one standing behind him. “You too, mister.”

“But ma!” Joey exclaims (aha! It IS his mother!). “It ain’t fair, how come Isaac’s the one who’s plastered and I’M the one always getting yelled at?” Joey throws his lanky arms up in the air in exasperation, while his twin just rolls his eyes.

The mother fairly spits out her words in a hiss, “We’ll talk about this later, boys. GO!”

Amazingly, the two twin boys shrug their shoulders, kiss her on the cheek, and rumble down the stairs. Stairs? We don’t have stairs here…

I clear my throat awkwardly, which this strange woman mistakes for a reproving cough and the next thing I know she’s slapping me across the face. “Isaac William Bronston, how DARE you bring your fiery potions and hangovers into this house! MY house! And with the boys here to see it! Oh, if your father weren’t going to tan your hide three times over, I’d do it myself!”

Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Tan MY hide? Was this crazy psychopath who smells like ham and wood talking to ME?

“I’m…sorry?” I offer stupidly, still rubbing the cobwebs of sleep from my mind.

“Sorry! Sorry? You don’t know what sorry IS yet, mister! But you will!”

Before she can raise her hand to strike me, I instinctively roll both arms in front of my face. “Who the heck is Isaac?” I manage to ask. By the way her face turns from tomato-red to deathly pale, I’m sure it’s the wrong question. But, slowly, she manages to breathe again and she lowers her hand, so maybe it was the right question after all.

“Isaac?” she asks me, drilling her eyes into mine like she was looking for a priceless gift she’d accidentally tossed away.

“Isaac…who?” I venture again.

“You, son.” Her voice is a raspy whisper, and even though I don’t know her from Eve, I can tell she’s going to start crying soon.

“I-I-I’m not Isaac!” I stammer, more panic lacing my voice than I intended. I struggle to sit up, the hardness of my muscles and the sudden wave of nausea that hits me throwing me for a loop. My voice, I notice, is remarkably deeper than when I went to sleep, but even so it rises with every syllable. “I—I’m Sophia! Sophia GRACE!”

Her eyes narrow at me, the love and worry gone, wrath slinking into its place. “Isaac, what are you ON? Who is this Sophia, is she…is she the reason…”

I blush at the very implication. “I’m NOT ISAAC, and I’m NOT ON anything!” Fully upright now, my eyes scour the room for any OUNCE of normalcy, a familiar book on a shelf, my little sister’s medications lining her desk, my poster of Johnny Depp, ANYTHING, but the place may as well be the moon for all the familiarity I’m finding here.

“I told you, lady, I’m NOT Isaac, I’m Sophia Grace, and if we’re going to keep having this strange conversation I really have to have a cup of coffee.” My calmness and my demanding of beverages at such a time surprises even me, even if this is a dream.

“Okay,” she agrees all-too-easily. “But, mark my words, mister, five minutes of coffee haven, and then we’re talking.”

I roll my eyes, thinking how like the mute twin I must look to her, and smile ruefully. “Whatever you say, ma’am. Now, coffee?”

Minutes pass by in silent agony as the java settles in and the panic I felt earlier starts to rise again. I’m a fifteen-year-old girl, why was I sleeping in a huge bed that belonged to someone named Isaac? Even worse, why did everyone insist on thinking I WAS Isaac? This just isn’t making any sense. I went to sleep like any other night (well, almost…I DID overeat…again…). I woke up only twice, which was no small feat for me. Once when Josie was into another coughing fit, and once when I knocked my shadowbox over onto my head…

My HEAD!

I hit my head, and I woke up a…man? How did that happen? And if I am Isaac, who is me?

Storm's comin' in...

Sometimes I love being in the city, but most of the time, I don't.

My brain is like that right now.

A new semester, and I can just TELL that there are interesting experiences on the horizon, but there's a storm blowin' in and it threatens my vision.

I can't see to my right or left, it's like tunnel vision, I'm stuck looking ahead waiting for disaster to strike.

People everywhere, a mad rush of ideas carefully slated, it gives me a rush and it makes me chlostrophobic.

But I can't help it, I'm drawn back to it time and again because it never ceases to amaze me the marvels man can make.

I want a nap.

Flowers

I love flowers. I don't consider myself much of a girlie-girl, but every once in a while I find things that make me feel every inch and ounce of my femininity, and flowers are one of those things. I love gerbera daisies, calla lilies, stargazer lilies, orchids, and gladiolus the most, and that's why they're all part of my bouquets, but there are lots of other flowers I find extremely intoxicating. I'm not much of a gardener, but someday I'd like to learn everything I can about planting beautiful flowers in my own secret spot and tending them with the rain and the sun.

That being said, I don't like buying dead flowers. I just don't. I think it's a waste of money to buy once-alive stems just to keep them around the house for a few days of beauty. I want potted plants around the house where necessary, but I also love silk flowers (if they're good quality). Afloral.com is by far the best website I've been able to find for the price and quality of real-like flowers, and I can't buy them anywhere else.

With real, live flowers, though, there's something else extra special about having them around. Fake flowers are beautiful, but real flowers are cheerful. Fake flowers make the decor, but real flowers make that decor...vibrate? I don't know how to explain it. There's something to that feng shui or chi or Native American earth-spirits or whatever, because there's an added measure of life in a place with living flowers.

I think heaven has to have lots of flowers.

Water

I have this thing about black & white photography, I adore it beyond comprehension and pretty much anything in black & white is beautiful to me. Some time ago, I downloaded a few photos that fit the bill and today I decided that instead of locking them away in my own computer I'd share them with all of you, one day or so at a time, and use them as my own muse for whatever I want to write about that day. Today's photo inspires thoughts on water.

My little brother gets baptized today! He turned 8 years old yesterday (my how the time flies!) and I get to play the piano for his baptism today. I barely remember anything about my own baptism, which is a shame since it was such a magnificent event in my life. All I really DO remember is that my dad, ready to dunk me, said, "Are you ready?" and my nervous little 8-year-old self-who-couldn't-swim was like, "No!" And he smiled and dunked me anyway, and I choked on some water and was sent into a coughing fit. At least, that's how my memory tells it. Maybe it's skewed after all these years...

I really love water. I'm not a big swimmer even today, although I love a leisurely swim as much as the next girl and I can effectively not drown. I love what water does to a human body, the way everything feels lighter, the joints ache less, the way warm water especially soothes away time's damages and one can merely "be". I love the timelessness of the ocean and the memories of summer pools and spring riverbanks and I love a good, hot shower in the morning. I'm a fan of drinking water, too, and now that I have a Pur water filter for my faucet I'm not afraid to drink the water my apartment offers! I love watercolors and Jell-O jigglers and soup and tears of joy and fountains and almost everything else that requires water to exist. Water is a mood-maker and it is beautiful.

Quick Rant

I get really frustrated with people who get upset with me for not telling them things when they, likewise, don't tell me things. And I'm not a big secret-keeper, anyway. My facebook or my blog pretty much spells it all out there, if anyone cares to look. My family, in particular, is really bad about communication. The little things are bad enough, and hurt just as much, but even the biggest things don't get spread around until the most inopportune times, and everyone still feels like getting mad at everyone else when no one tells them anything. Sometimes I just want to scream!

Okay, I'm over it. I gotta shower and stuff, I have a sister in town that I get to take shopping and buy her a new outfit that makes her look "girlie". I have such a soft spot for this sister when it comes to spending money on her, I can't help it. I'll be poor this semester, for sure. :)

Chicago, take 2!

Paul & I went up to Chicago yesterday, mostly for the purpose of picking up some things he left there over break, but also to get away during this last week of holiday vacation and see some other sights in his hometown. This time we went to Chinatown, Rainforest Cafe, an outdoor mall where we picked up some Frango holiday chocolates for 70% off, and back to his family's place to visit and pick up everything, have our FHE, etc. ...oh yeah, and pick up some Dunkin' Donuts on the way back. :) It was a fun day-trip and I'm glad I got to come along for the ride! Here are some pics of the happy Monday...it only would have been happier had I remembered to take along my ear antiseptic (I got my ears pierced over the weekend) so that I wouldn't have to panic about infection!

My big strong Atlas-Man. :) And below are the stars up above us...

Mmm...Frango! Apparently it's a Chicago thing.

2008 in Summary

I came up with a rather dandy newsletter for the year, but if I didn't send it to you it's because I don't have your email address saved in my contacts. If you're curious, send me a message at omadarland@hotmail.com with your email addy and I'll zip that right over to you. :)

Pics and tales of the holidays to come...right now I'm getting ready to head off with Paul to the bookstore! (Can life get any better than having a man who loves books as much or more than you do? I submit that it cannot!)

Happy New Year!